The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE
— Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said a fan told him he hoped he would get shingles again and that others took insults too far in St. Louis’ 8-7, 11-inning victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

La Russa appeared to briefly engage in some banter after Tuesday’s win, then called the fans “idiots” in comments after a game in which Albert Pujols was hit with a high pitch in the seventh inning. Brewers star Ryan Braun was plunked in Milwaukee’s next at-bat.

“It’s going way too far when they start cursing your family and the funniest one, the guy’s yelling, `I hope you get shingles again,’” La Russa said Wednesday. “That’s just stupid. But when you watch and you ignore our guy get drilled when the other guy gets a little stinger, it’s irritating.”

La Russa said that Brewers officials removed several fans near St. Louis’ dugout during the game. The 66-year-old La Russa struggled with shingles for nearly two months earlier this season, missing six games because of the condition.

The game turned tense in the seventh.

Pujols was hit on the left hand near the wrist he broke earlier this season. X-rays after the game were negative and Pujols was in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s finale. Braun was then plunked by Jason Motte in the bottom of the inning that drew the ire of most of the crowd of 39,393.

“You don’t want to get into a bean ball war,” Braun said. “That’s never fun.”

La Russa called the pitch that hit Pujols “scary” but not intentional and they were trying to send a message to Braun by pitching him tight.

“That’s what all these idiots up there — not idiots, fans are yelling,” La Russa said. “I don’t want to even hear about Braun getting a little pop in the back when we almost lose (Pujols) in several ways.”

The manager was also upset Wednesday at the Brewers TV broadcasters after their take on the inning’s events.

“You would hope that the guys that work for the Brewers have enough guts and enough integrity to call the game as it is instead of worrying about their paycheck,” La Russa said.

Brewers TV analyst and former catcher Bill Schroeder acknowledged he called the situation “bush league” when discussing the inning, but was not directing the comment toward La Russa. Schroeder said he and La Russa spoke by phone Wednesday morning, touching on several topics.

“I have a lot of respect for Tony La Russa,” Schroeder said. “I would never call him bush league.”

La Russa and Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak also said they had not heard from MLB about potential discipline for Yadier Molina, who appeared to make contact with plate umpire Rob Drake after arguing a called third strike in the 10th inning.

Drake had to wipe his face after it appeared he was hit by spittle while Molina was yelling. Molina maintained he did not spit on Drake, saying he was sweaty and any contact he made with Drake was incidental. Molina was in Wednesday’s lineup.

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MILWAUKEE
— Cardinals manager Tony La Russa says a fan told him he hoped he would get shingles again and that others took insults too far in St. Louis’ 8-7, 11-inning victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

La Russa appeared to briefly engage in some banter after the game, and called the fans “idiots” in his comments after a game in which Albert Pujols was hit with a high pitch in the seventh inning and Brewers star Ryan Braun was plunked in Milwaukee’s next at-bat.

La Russa says that Brewers officials removed several fans near St. Louis’ dugout during the game. The 66-year-old La Russa struggled with shingles for over a month earlier this season, missing six games because of the condition.

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NEW YORK
— Johan Santana’s comeback from shoulder surgery has stalled.

The New York Mets ace was scratched from his next scheduled rehab start because of lingering discomfort in his pitching shoulder. He will head back to New York to be examined by a doctor Thursday and it’s uncertain if he will get back to the majors this season.

“I don’t really believe this is about this year. This is about a timetable that will get him ready and if part of that timetable is pitching games in the major leagues this year, good. If it’s not, it’s not,” general manager Sandy Alderson said Tuesday. “We’re certainly not going to rush things. I think right now a window in September is open to us. If it closes, that’s the way it goes.”

Santana pitched three scoreless innings last Thursday for Class-A St. Lucie in his first rehab outing since undergoing surgery last September to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner was slated to pitch again Wednesday for St. Lucie, but Alderson said Monday that Santana would likely be pushed back a day because he didn’t feel as strong as he wanted to following the first outing.

Then, on Tuesday, Alderson said the 32-year-old left-hander was scheduled to see the doctor and won’t pitch again until at least next week.

“There is some lingering discomfort in his shoulder and we want to make sure that’s checked out before we go any further with the rehab,” Alderson said. “I can’t comment on the severity of this discomfort — that’s one of the reasons we want him seen by a doctor — but there is some there. More than anything else, Johan would like to have it checked out before he proceeds.”

Alderson said he wasn’t sure whether the news should be characterized as a setback for Santana, but it definitely delays his rehab schedule.

“I wouldn’t say this is something we expected, but in the overall course of things, it’s probably not something that should be unexpected,” Alderson said.

“Nothing is worth it to the point where we’re going to push him to do something that he’s not capable of doing. I’ve already said that as far as 2011 is concerned, we’re not looking for him to contribute to a pennant race, so we will view September as part of his overall recovery from this surgery. If he’s able to pitch, great. If not, we’ll work that into his offseason schedule and spring training.”

Santana threw 26 of 33 pitches for strikes and allowed two hits last week against the Daytona Cubs. He played long toss after the outing but did not throw a bullpen session, Alderson said.

Acquired from Minnesota before the 2008 season, Santana is signed through 2013 on a deal that guaranteed him $137.5 million over six years.

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ANAHEIM, Calif.
— Los Angeles Angels ace Jered Weaver will appeal the six-game suspension he drew Tuesday from Major League Baseball for throwing a pitch over the head of Detroit’s Alex Avila last weekend.

Weaver also was fined an undisclosed amount by MLB senior vice president Joe Garagiola Jr. for the toss, which came right after the Tigers’ Carlos Guillen showboated on a home run.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia was suspended one game because Weaver threw at Avila after both teams were warned Sunday by plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Scioscia sat out Tuesday night’s game against Minnesota.

“I obviously knew that something was going to happen,” Weaver said. “It’s six games, and it is what it is, but I’ve decided to appeal it. I wanted my voice heard a little bit on the situation and how it went down, see what they feel about it and go from there. So we’ll see what happens.”

Weaver will have his say during a hearing in New York during the middle of next week while the Angels are in town for a three-game set with the Yankees.

Weaver is the AL ERA leader and is a two-time All-Star — in fact, Avila was his catcher in last month’s showcase game.

The right-hander is 14-5 with a 1.88 ERA and among the league leaders with 142 strikeouts. He can continue to pitch until his appeal, and is scheduled to start Saturday against Seattle.

Weaver was ejected in the seventh inning of a testy 3-2 loss at Detroit. Last year’s major league strikeout leader fired a fastball over Avila’s helmet after Guillen stood at the plate, watching his home run.

“Baseball’s a game of emotions, and I’m not one to let my emotions get the best of me,” said Weaver, who addressed reporters in the hallway outside the clubhouse following a 20-minute meeting with Scioscia.

“I’ve had a pretty calm career so far, but there are just some things that kind of cross the line. I thought that was one of those things, and I didn’t want to sit back and take that. So I did what I did. I can’t take it back. It happened, and obviously I’ve got to pay the repercussions for it.”

The usually laid-back Weaver, who lost the marquee matchup against fellow Cy Young contender Justin Verlander, went on a tirade right after he was ejected by Wendelstedt and carried it into the dugout, screaming at Guillen from across the field.

“I’m not one to go out there and show people up,” Weaver said. “I play the game with loyalty and respect to a lot of players, and I would hope that maybe they would respect me a little bit. I just didn’t like the way it happened. Maybe the emotion of the big game and going up against Verlander has something to do with it, but I just didn’t think that it was right.”

Avila, who caught Weaver during his one-inning stint in the All-Star game, didn’t have much of a comment on the suspension when asked before Detroit’s game against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

“Part of the game. Suspend him? OK,” Avila said. “I’ve still got to play today.”

Weaver did not hit a batter last season in a career-high 224 1-3 innings, and has plunked just one batter this season in 167 2-3 innings.

“(Avila) caught me in the All-Star game, and we gained a little respect for each other there. So I’m not here to hurt nobody. I just felt like I needed to prove a point,” Weaver said. “I think if I wanted to hit him, I could have hit him. I just threw a fastball up and in and it got up and away. It probably looked a little worse than it was, but it was clearly about a foot or two over his head.”

This was the first time Scioscia missed a game since was May 22, the day his son, Matthew, graduated from Notre Dame. Bench coach Rob Picciolo guided the team to a 4-1 victory over the Braves at Angel Stadium, and handled the managerial chores against Tuesday night.

“Obviously, I don’t want to see Sosh have a suspension, but that’s the way the game is,” Weaver said. “I’ll try to pay his fine and we’ll go from there. Hopefully, it doesn’t affect the team too much, and that we can get this over with, and I can go back to pitching.”

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ANAHEIM, Calif.
— Los Angeles Angels ace Jered Weaver will appeal the six-game suspension he drew Tuesday from Major League Baseball for throwing a pitch over the head of Detroit’s Alex Avila last weekend.

Weaver also was fined an undisclosed amount by MLB senior vice president Joe Garagiola Jr. for the toss, which came right after the Tigers’ Carlos Guillen showboated on a home run.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia was suspended one game because Weaver threw at Avila after both teams were warned Sunday by plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Scioscia sat out Tuesday night’s game against Minnesota.

“I obviously knew that something was going to happen,” Weaver said. “It’s six games, and it is what it is, but I’ve decided to appeal it. I wanted my voice heard a little bit on the situation and how it went down, see what they feel about it and go from there. So we’ll see what happens.”

Weaver will have his say during a hearing in New York during the middle of next week while the Angels are in town for a three-game set with the Yankees.

Weaver is the AL ERA leader and is a two-time All-Star — in fact, Avila was his catcher in last month’s showcase game.

The right-hander is 14-5 with a 1.88 ERA and among the league leaders with 142 strikeouts. He can continue to pitch until his appeal, and is scheduled to start Saturday against Seattle.

Weaver was ejected in the seventh inning of a testy 3-2 loss at Detroit. Last year’s major league strikeout leader fired a fastball over Avila’s helmet after Guillen stood at the plate, watching his home run.

“Baseball’s a game of emotions, and I’m not one to let my emotions get the best of me,” said Weaver, who addressed reporters in the hallway outside the clubhouse following a 20-minute meeting with Scioscia.

“I’m had a pretty calm career so far, but there are just some things that kind of cross the line. I thought that was one of those things, and I didn’t want to sit back and take that. So I did what I did. I can’t take it back. It happened, and obviously I’ve got to pay the repercussions for it.”

The usually laid-back Weaver, who lost the marquee matchup against fellow Cy Young contender Justin Verlander, went on a tirade right after he was ejected by Wendelstedt and carried it into the dugout, screaming at Guillen from across the field.

“I’m not one to go out there and show people up,” Weaver said. “I play the game with loyalty and respect to a lot of players, and I would hope that maybe they would respect me a little bit. I just didn’t like the way it happened. Maybe the emotion of the big game and going up against Verlander has something to do with it, but I just didn’t think that it was right.”

Avila, who caught Weaver during his one-inning stint in the All-Star game, didn’t have much of a comment on the suspension when asked before Detroit’s game against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

“Part of the game. Suspend him? OK,” Avila said. “I’ve still got to play today.”

Weaver did not hit a batter last season in a career-high 224 1-3 innings, and has plunked just one batter this season in 167 2-3 innings.

“(Avila) caught me in the All-Star game, and we gained a little respect for each other there. So I’m not here to hurt nobody. I just felt like I needed to prove a point,” Weaver said. “I think if I wanted to hit him, I could have hit him. I just threw a fastball up and in and it got up and away. It probably looked a little worse than it was, but it was clearly about a foot or two over his head.”

This was the first time Scioscia missed a game since was May 22, the day his son, Matthew, graduated from Notre Dame. Bench coach Rob Picciolo guided the team to a 4-1 victory over the Braves at Angel Stadium, and handled the managerial chores against Tuesday night.

“Obviously, I don’t want to see Sosh have a suspension, but that’s the way the game is,” Weaver said. “I’ll try to pay his fine and we’ll go from there. Hopefully, it doesn’t affect the team too much, and that we can get this over with, and I can go back to pitching.”

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MIAMI
— The Florida Marlins scheduled two exhibition games in their new ballpark against the New York Yankees next April 1-2.

About 25,000 tickets will be available for the April 1 game, which will start at 1:10 p.m., the Marlins said Tuesday. About 30,000 tickets will be available for the April 2 game, scheduled to start at 7:10.

“It was a great selection to play the Yankees,” Marlins manager Jack McKeon said in New York before his team played the Mets. “They always seem to draw well. Give the people of South Florida and Miami a chance to see the new ballpark.”

Marlins 2012 full-season and partial-plan ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets to the two exhibition games. A limited number of tickets will go on sale to the general public next spring.

The ballpark near downtown Miami is more than 76 percent complete, the Marlins said, and is scheduled to open next year.

“It’ll be nice. You get some of the bugs out before the season,” McKeon said.

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NEW YORK
— Johan Santana’s comeback from shoulder surgery has stalled.

The New York Mets ace was scratched from his next scheduled rehab start because of lingering discomfort in his pitching shoulder. He will head back to New York to be examined by a doctor Thursday and it’s uncertain if he will get back to the majors this season.

“I don’t really believe this is about this year. This is about a timetable that will get him ready and if part of that timetable is pitching games in the major leagues this year, good. If it’s not, it’s not,” general manager Sandy Alderson said Tuesday. “We’re certainly not going to rush things. I think right now a window in September is open to us. If it closes, that’s the way it goes.”

Santana pitched three scoreless innings last Thursday for Class-A St. Lucie in his first rehab outing since undergoing surgery last September to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner was slated to pitch again Wednesday for St. Lucie, but Alderson said Monday that Santana would likely be pushed back a day because he didn’t feel as strong as he wanted to following the first outing.

Then, on Tuesday, Alderson said the 32-year-old left-hander was scheduled to see the doctor and won’t pitch again until at least next week.

“There is some lingering discomfort in his shoulder and we want to make sure that’s checked out before we go any further with the rehab,” Alderson said. “I can’t comment on the severity of this discomfort — that’s one of the reasons we want him seen by a doctor — but there is some there. More than anything else, Johan would like to have it checked out before he proceeds.”

Alderson said he wasn’t sure whether the news should be characterized as a setback for Santana, but it definitely delays his rehab schedule.

“I wouldn’t say this is something we expected, but in the overall course of things, it’s probably not something that should be unexpected,” Alderson said.

“Nothing is worth it to the point where we’re going to push him to do something that he’s not capable of doing. I’ve already said that as far as 2011 is concerned, we’re not looking for him to contribute to a pennant race, so we will view September as part of his overall recovery from this surgery. If he’s able to pitch, great. If not, we’ll work that into his offseason schedule and spring training.”

Santana threw 26 of 33 pitches for strikes and allowed two hits last week against the Daytona Cubs. He played long toss after the outing but did not throw a bullpen session, Alderson said.

Acquired from Minnesota before the 2008 season, Santana is signed through 2013 on a deal that guaranteed him $137.5 million over six years.

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NEW YORK
— Los Angeles Angels right-hander Jered Weaver has been suspended six games for throwing a pitch near the head of Detroit’s Alex Avila on Sunday, and his manager Mike Scioscia has been suspended for one game.

Weaver was ejected in the bottom of the seventh inning of a testy 3-2 loss to the Tigers on Sunday. He threw a pitch just over Avila’s head after Detroit’s Carlos Guillen showboated on a home run.

Weaver has also been fined an undisclosed amount.

Joe Garagiola Jr., Major League Baseball’s senior vice president of standards and on-field operations, announced the discipline.

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SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.
— A youth baseball team from Saudi Arabia received a berth to the Little League World Series after a squad from Uganda was denied visas because of discrepancies over players’ ages and birth dates.

The Little League World Series made the announcement on Tuesday.

The Arabian-American team from Dhahran had lost last month to the Rev. John Foundation team from Kampala, which won the Little League’s Middle East and Africa region and advanced to the World Series in South Williamsport, Pa.

But the State Department last week said some visa applications for Ugandan players included birth records altered to make players appear younger. Youth ages 11 or 12 as of April 30 can play in the World Series, which begins Aug. 18.